2018 Believe in Christmas
Subject: Helping People to Believe in Christmas
by Rick Welborne
Matthew 1:18-25 (NKJV)
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: After His mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19 Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20 But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
21 And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins."
22 So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23 "Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel," which is translated, "God with us."
24 Then Joseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife,
25 and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name JESUS.
--As a sinner it was hard for me to believe this story…last week I shared how as a teenager it was so difficult for me to conceive of the thought that Jesus was born to a virgin. I mocked the thought.
--We were not atheists in our home…matter of fact we had the big beautiful Bible on the coffee table…it was revered for a while but eventually evolved to a place for coffee cups and ash trays. We didn’t read it.
--We believed in celebrating Christmas in a sense…we had a Christmas tree and my dad would always put up some type of Christmas decorations outside. Remember the big ugly Christmas bulbs?
--I remember my mom ticking off my dad by telling him that he had made our house look like a liquor store instead of a decorated house. Of course, this story escalated late one night as we watched TV.
--Someone started shaking our front door and beating on the door like a mad man. My dad goes to the door, opens it, and there standing in front of him was a crazy drunk asking, “Is this Jack’s Bar?” Mom loved it!
--I said all that to say this…to a point we believed in Christmas and celebrated the only way we knew how but obviously we did not believe in Christ. How do we believe in this Christ of Christmas?
1. To believe in Christmas and to believe in the Christ of Christmas we must see God’s involvement.
John 3:16-17 (NKJV)
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17 For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
--This beautiful baby lying in a manger was God’s doing. He gave us the best gift ever…His only Son!
--God loved us so much that He gave us His Son…listen to what He says…Whoever believes in His Son should not perish but have everlasting life. God wants us saved and this is the beginning place.
2. To believe in Christmas and to believe in the Christ of Christmas we must see Jesus as the only way.
Acts 4:10-12 (NLT2)
10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.
11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’
12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
10 Let me clearly state to all of you and to all the people of Israel that he was healed by the powerful name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the man you crucified but whom God raised from the dead.
11 For Jesus is the one referred to in the Scriptures, where it says, ‘The stone that you builders rejected has now become the cornerstone.’
12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
--Isn’t it true, as long as we are sincere, Pastor Rick, that it does not matter what we believe? Think that through. What if someone sincerely thought they could fly. They decide to jump out of a plane!
--They are sincere and they have convinced themselves they can fly so why not jump? Here’s why not…they will be sincerely dead. They want have the guts to do that again.
--Faith is a leap of faith and it can be scary to jump. The man who jumped out of the plane thinking he could fly went against the law of gravity. The one who believes in the Christ of Christmas believes in God’s law...
12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
--Lots of people are sincerely going to miss this Christ of Christmas…they may be sincere about their good works, their empty religion, or their god (little g). No other Name but Jesus!
3. To believe in Christmas and to believe in the Christ of Christmas we must receive the free gift.
--I love the story of the Samaritan woman at the well that Jesus encounters and offers this free gift:
John 4:7-10 (NKJV)
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."
8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."
8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?" For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10 Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, 'Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
--Yes, I want you to believe in Christmas, yes, I want you to believe in the Christ of Christmas, but I also want you to receive the gift of Christmas…If you knew the gift of God.
--You would ask Him and you would receive living water…salvation and Holy Spirit!
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